Are you considering switching banks or closing your old bank account? You aren’t the only one. A Consumers Union survey found that nearly one in five checking account customers considered switching to a different bank or credit union, but less than half actually went through with it because it proved to be too much trouble.

Do your research and follow these steps and you will be on your way to taking control of your finances.

Remember cash? Those pieces of paper with denominations and portraits of presidents printed on them? Besides rappers using them to make it rain at the club, cash is still accepted almost everywhere by people all over the world to pay for products and services. Yet with the rise in popularity of digital payments along with debit and credit cards, less and less people are carrying around this form of payment.

I was making small talk with someone earlier this month and we were talking about what age would be the perfect age if we could go back in time. I settled on the age of 25. What’s not to like about your 20s. For many of us, we’ve finally got done with school and started our first real job that’s not asking someone if they want fries with that. We are all bright-eyed and ready to take on the world and experience all that it has to offer.

Since your 20s are the foundation for the rest of your life, here is my personal advice on the worst financial mistakes that I think 20-somethings should avoid making.

Whether you are an aspiring real estate investor with plans for dozens of properties or if you are renting out your residence because you have to move for a job, knowing how to screen potential tenants can reduce the amount of stress and headaches from being stuck with a problem tenant.

I’ve been a landlord and I’ve also been a renter so I’ve been on both sides of the screening process. Here are some tips and a step-by-step guide on how to find great tenants.

Not many people can pay cash for a house these days. According to Zillow, the median home sale price in the United States ending October 2018 was $225,900. You are going to need a piggy bank the size of a house for that.

For most people, buying a home means taking out a mortgage. The two most common mortgage terms are 15-year and 30-year fixed rate mortgages. This brings us to the question of which should one go with that makes the most financial sense.

Writing a check payable to cash might seem like a good idea. It’s simple enough. You write out a check as you would normally except instead of a person or company in the “Pay to the order of” line, you simply write “Cash”. Then you write in the amount, sign your name on the front, endorse the back, head to the bank, and give it to the teller. A minute later you will be walking out of the bank with a pocket full of bills.

Sounds great, right? But even though you can write a check for cash, here are many reasons why you shouldn’t.

Before you run hop online and start applying for a balance transfer credit card, know that banks and credit card companies aren’t offering these cards because they want to give you free money. They are really hoping you’d mess up so they can reap the financial rewards.

Are you sinking further into credit card debt and trying to keep your head above water? High-interest credit cards and personal loans can make getting ahead of your debt situation seem almost impossible.

A balance transfer could be the lifeline that you need to improve your finances. But transferring a balance can also turn that lifeline into an anchor that could get you into more trouble. Before you think about doing a credit card balance transfer, here is what you need to know.

Your water heater is one of the most neglected appliances in your home. It sits hidden away in the basement, attic, or closet somewhere where no one pays a single second of attention to it as long as there is hot water when you turn on the faucet. That is until one day when it springs a leak and it turns into a major event.

Most water heaters are made of steel with glass or porcelain-lined tanks. When you combine water with metal, it will form rust. To protect your water heater from corrosion, a long metal rod called a sacrificial anode rod is used. The idea is the anode rod corrodes first, sacrificing itself to protect the steel tank. By replacing your anode rod, you can significantly extend the life of your water heater and also save a bunch of money.

It has been said that there are two things certain in life: death and taxes. The first thing I can’t help you with. But for the second, I can with a type of retirement account called a Roth IRA. With this particular type of account, your account’s balance that you see is what you get. Uncle Sam doesn’t get a cent of it.

In addition to the tax advantages, here are six other reasons why you should have a Roth IRA.